Your browser (Internet Explorer 7 or lower) is out of date. It has known security flaws and may not display all features of this and other websites. Learn how to update your browser.
X
The Online Magazine for Alumni and Friends of Siena Heights University
Forensic Scientist Amy Harlukowicz-Proctor Is a Key Part of Michigan State Police’s Crime-Fighting Unit
To say that Amy Harlukowicz-Proctor ’93 is in a results-driven profession would be an understatement. She has dedicated most of her professional career to forensic science. The supervisor/manager for the Biology Unit of the Michigan State Police’s Lansing lab helps law enforcement process crime scene evidence that is often the difference in deciding guilt or innocence. It’s a responsibility she embraces—and doesn’t take lightly.
“We literally hold people’s lives in our hands,” said Proctor, who has worked as a civilian member of the MSP since 2001. “There is a lot of pressure to produce the highest quality of work possible with a very fast turn-around time. With that said, the sense of satisfaction that comes from completing a case and testifying to the results in court can be great.”
Proctor has testified in court 52 times during her 19-year forensic science career. After completing her Master of Science degree in criminal justice with a forensic science concentration from Michigan State University, she started as a serologist/DNA analyst with the Hamilton (Ohio) County Coroner’s Office near Cincinnati in 1995.
For many years she processed blood and DNA evidence as a bench analyst on cases ranging from criminal sexual assault, homicides, aggravated felonious assaults, kidnappings, robberies and arson.
“Pretty much any type of evidence that could possibly contain someone’s biological material has been submitted to the laboratory,” Proctor said.
And that included finding DNA off a submarine sandwich.
Mary Small Poore, President—Alumni Association Board of Directors
The Siena Heights Mission: Alive and Well
The Mission of Siena Heights University leads us all “to be more competent, purposeful and ethical through a teaching and learning environment that respects the dignity of all.” No time in my recent past have these words spoken to me more clearly than a recent week in April.
I was privileged to attend the Siena Heights University Honors Convocation held on April 25. That ceremony reminded me of all that is great about this school. The students, faculty and staff honored were but a small percentage of the incredible people who constitute this university. Their achievements and accomplishments are all outstanding. Later that same day I attended a reception for the graduates of our Metro Detroit campus. There I met non-traditional students who, along with all of their other personal and professional responsibilities, had achieved excellence in the classroom while striving to create better lives for themselves and their families. As a former traditional student 40 years ago, I could not imagine how difficult their journey must have been. As I told them that evening, I am in awe of each of them.
That’s the number of connections currently displaying on Siena Heights University’s Linked In university page.
Don’t know what Linked In is yet?
According to Wikipedia (if you don’t know what Wikipedia is, I may have lost you), Linked In is a “business-oriented social networking service. Founded in December 2002 and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. As of June 2013, LinkedIn reports more than 259 million acquired users in more than 200 countries and territories.”
In other words, there are 6,657 people who claim a Siena Heights connection. That’s a pretty impressive network.
In fact, it’s so impressive that I used it to research some of the subjects who appear in this issue of Reflections. Our Linked In university page displays our connections in a career-related fashion. There are main category breakdowns such as people employed in health care, higher education and marketing. There is even a listing by company or organization, if you want to dig that deep.
As someone who relies on information for much of my work, I found it fascinating. Almost addicting.
